Houston teachers file suit over method used to evaluate teachers

Houston – A lawsuit has been filed by a group of Houston teachers over a controversial method used to evaluate teachers. As reported by The Washington Post, seven-high achieving instructors and the Houston Federation of Teachers filed the suit against the Houston Independent School District this week citing the “Educational Value-Added Assessment System” was flawed.

The teachers assert in the case that the system is used in making the determination for teachers’ salaries and whether they will be allowed to maintain their positions, despite it’s inaccuracies.

Daniel Santos, an award-winning sixth-grade social studies teacher at Jackson Middle School, who is a plaintiff in the lawsuit, is quoted as stating of the system, “It’s dispiriting and insulting to be told I’m ineffective, a judgment that doesn’t mesh with my classroom performance or the time and effort I devote to my students.”

The value added method was implemented by Houston school district officials in 2007. Officials are quoted as writing on their website in defense of the system, “Value-added measures how well schools and teachers are doing in accelerating the academic progress of their students. Value-added, when used with other measures, provides a more complete picture of performance.”